With "The X Factor" cancelled and both "American Idol" and "The Voice" hitting series lows, what the world apparently needs now is... another singing competition reality show!
Yes, ABC seems to be jumping into buffet line long after all the good food is gone with "Rising Star," debuting Sunday, June 22 featuring three new judges: Kesha, Brad Paisley and Atlanta rap star Ludacris. Josh Groban hosts.
It's a nicely balanced panel with a female pop star (think Christina Aguilera, Paula Abdul, Demi Lovato, JLo), a country star (think Blake Shelton, Keith Urban) and a hip-hop star (think Usher, Cee Lo, Nicki Minaj). And Groban evokes a bit of HCJ.
The only twist I can ascertain is that voting will be live, but how that impacts the West Coast viewers is a big question. There is some sort of wall that will rise higher the better the live feedback from listeners - or something like that.
Ludacris is getting heavy on TV lately. He recently taped "Celebrity Apprentice,' which will air during the 2014-15 season.
He is hosting the Billboard Music Awards on ABC Sunday. (Yes, another music-based awards show!)
This is the promo script and video using the actual word "revolutionary." That would have been the word for this if they had debuted the show... in 2001.
"3 stories tall. 90 feet wide. And 300 million Americans have the power to raise this wall. This Summer, a new revolutionary music competition will be decided by you...LIVE"
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As for "Idol," the show drew 8.6 million viewers last night, the best numbers for a results show in several weeks. But it was eclipsed by the 16.6 million people who caught the season finale of "The Big Bang Theory."
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